Turbine bucket-wheel.



No. 819,106. I PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

J. WILKINSON.

TURBINE BUCKET WHEEL. APPLIOATION I ILnn AUG.9,1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WILKINSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILKINSON TURBINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

TURBINE BUCKET-WHEEL.

Specification 'of Letters Patent.

latented May 1, 1906.

Application filed ug st 9, 1905. Serial No. 273,426.

ful Improvements in Turbine Bucket-Wheels,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in buckets or vanes and means for mounting them upon wheels, drums, or rotors, such as are used in rotary fluid-motors, and particularly elastic-fluid turbines.

It is the object of my invention to form the buckets separately, providing them with ductile orflexible shanks,which are adapted to be sprung or bent into engagement with the bucket-supporting portion or rim and be there secured by calking or bending over a gripping-surface formed integral with the supporting portion or by rivets or bolts or in any other desired manner.

It is also an object to provide means to brace the outer ends of the buckets to ether and place them under an initial tension to hold them firmly together. To this end I provide the buckets with flanges which are adapted to be spread by a calking-tool until they firmly engage each an adjacent bucket, thus bracing them together and holding them evenly spaced around the wheel at a tension regulated by the extent to which the flanges are spread by the calking operation, which is readily effected by the aid of a curved anvil inserted between the flange and bucket-support.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate several constructions embodying the improvements constituting my present invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a' bucket-wheel constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the manner in which the bucket-flanges are calked. Fig. 2 is a top Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line a; as, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the manner of springing the bucket-shanks over their support. Fig. 5illustrates the preferred manner of fastening the bucket-shanks to their support by calking.

Similar reference-numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As an illustrative embodiment of my invention I show a turbine bucket-wheel 1,

having a shouldered rim portion 2, upon which are mounted a row of buckets 3. The

riinis preferably of considerable radial depth,

being grooved at 4 to lighten it and having shoulders projecting on each side of the wheel-body. The bucket 3 is concavo-convex and preferably formed integral with a base-block 5, havin two elongated flexible or ductile shanks 6 depending therefrom and provided at their free ends with inwardlyprojecting hooks, such as shoulders 7 or flanges 8, Fig. 5. The distance between the shanks 6 corresponds with the transverse width of the rim, which necessitates their hooked ends being sprung or bent outwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, to enable themto be slipped over the rim, after which they spring or are bent inwardly to cause them to interlock with the rim. l/Vhen in place on the wheel-rim, the buckets are spaced equidistantly by their base-blocks, which abut, or in any other desired manner and are secured to the wheel either by rivets, bolts, or screws 9, which pass through the shoulders 7 and wheel-body, or by means of calking. This latter arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 and constitutes the preferred manner of mounting the buckets, as it does not weaken the wheel by drilling bolt-holes therein. To secure the bucket-shanks against displacement, I preferably form the flanges 9 so that ment, I preferably form the flanges 9 so that their under sides slant inwardly to leave them thicker at theirinner ends. Two annular calking-shoulders 10, preferably integral with the wheel-body, are disposed so that there is only sufficient clearance between them and the rim to enable these flanges to be forced inwardly to a position where they abut against a web If between the shoulders and rim and interlock with the rim. A calking-tool 12 is now used to turn the shoulders 10 until they close up against the slanting under sides of flanges 9, thereby securely locking the latter against outward movement, and therefore disengagement from the rim-shoulders with which the shanks interlock.- According to this arrangement the strength of the wheel will not be impaired by the means used for positively securing the buckets in place thereon.

To brace the buckets together at their outer ends, I provide each with aflange 13, preferably formed integral therewlth, Wl'llCh face of the bucket'whic projects at right angles from the bucket and engages the concave face of the adjacent bucket. The bucket-engaging edge .of the flange is curved in corres ondenee with the it engages, and when the buckets are assembled the curved edges of the flanges do not make tight joints with the buckets. Itighten these joints to any desired extent by inserting a curved anvil 14 under the flanges and spreading them by a calking-tool, such as 12. The flanges 13 may pro'ect to the front or rear of the buckets and,a shown,inay be less in width than the bucket proper. An other desired means may-be used to sprea the shoulders 10 and flanges 13. The buckets may be set at a uniform distance apart at their outer ends by pro er attention in calking, and thus an, even alance secured. The convex calked edge prevents a bucket shifting sidewise at its outer ends.

In the preferred construction (shown in Fig. 5) where the shanks 6 are calked they are made shorter than in the case where they are bolted to the wheel, for which reason it is desirable that more reliance should be placed upon their ductile quality rather than their spring action. After the buckets have been mounted on the wheel these shanks are again bent or forced inwardly against the web 11 of the rim,.where they are locked in engage ment with the rim shoulders in the manner alread described.

VVi out therefore limiting myself to the details of construction as hereinbefore described, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 1. As an article of manufacture, a bucket or vane having integral ductile shanks o ositely disposed and provided with inwartfl projecting shoulders, the top facesof which are disposed substantially at rightangles to said shanks.

2. As an article of manufacture, a bucket or vane having integral therewith a base-.

block and elongated shanks which depend from said base-blockand are spaced apart,"

said shanks being adapted to be sprung or bent to or from each other, and shoulders near the free ends of said shanks which proj ect inwardly and have their upper faces subdered portions, the corresponding shanks of adjacent buckets being ada ted to abut.

4. The'combination wit a bucket-wheel provided with a shouldered rim, of a plurality of bucket elements having bifurcatedbases which straddle said rim, hooked pro.-

jections carried by said bases and ada tedto engage under said rim, and means'to old said projections in engagement with the rim, said base portions serving to space the buckets and brace them in position when assembled'.

5. The combination with an element having an undercut bucket-supporting portion,

of buckets having shanks which straddle said element and provided with inwardlydisposed projections which are adapted to interlock with the overhanging parts of the I bucket-supporting portion, and means to hold said parts in engagement.

6. A turbine bucket wheel or' drum, a

of which is provided with arms adapted to be spread apart and passed-over said rim so asto straddle it, hooked projections on said arms so disposed that when the bucket is seated upon the rim and said arms have been brought together against the sides of the rim,

the said projections will catch under said rim, and means to hold said projections in engagement with the rim.

8. A turbine bucket element'having a rim.

ortion on'which the buckets are mounted,

1n combination with buckets having shanks which straddle said rim portion, shoulders on said shanks adapted toengage a portion of said rim, and projections on said rim adapted to be calked against said shanks to hold them in engagement with said rim. v

' 9. A turbine bucket-wheel having an un- "dercut rim portion, a bucket having hooked shanks which straddle and interlock with said rim, calking-shoulders on the wheel adjacent to said shanks, and means to turn said shoulders to lock said shanks in engagement with said rim.

10. Aturbine bucket-wheel-havin a shouldered rim of considerable radial thic ness, an annular groove in said rim to lighten it, bucketsadapted to *seat against said rim and having elongated hooked shanks which straddle said rim, fitting closely against its sides and' catchingunder the shouldered portions thereof, and means to hold said shanks in engagement with said rim. i

11. In combination a. bucket-sup orting element, a series of buckets mounted tli and a flange disposed at the outer ends of each bucket, said flanges being spread in a circumferential direction after the buckets ereon,

have been assembled to cause them to engage adjacent buckets, substantially as and for theurposes described.

12. he combination with a bucket-supporting element, of a row of buckets mounted thereon and provided each with a s acin flange at its outer end, which is spread untfl it abuts against an adjacent bucket.

' 13. A bucket-wheel comprising a row of buckets spaced at their inner and outer ends and placed under an initial tension at their outer ends by spreading or calking their abut-' ting portions.

14. A bucket-wheel having a rim portion for supporting buckets and an annular flange on eac side, in combination with buckets adapted to be mounted on said wheel and to be held in position by having said flanges bent into engagement with them.

15. A turbine bucket-wheel com rising an undercut rim and two calking anges, in combination with buckets having portions which interlock with said rim, said flanges being so disposed relatively to said bucket portions that they may be bent into engagement with them, for the purposesdescribed.

16. A turbine bucket-wheel provided near bent into engagement with said buckets, for

the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES WILKINSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. CoRBE'rr, JAMES H. NOLAN. 

